Troubled
by ChocoBetty
Summary: Set in my alternate universe - Gwen is trouble due to the things that happened.


**Title**

Troubled

**Author**

ChocoBetty

**Fandom**

Torchwood

**Rating**

PG

**Warnings**

non

**Disclaimer**

Torchwood doesn't belong to me. I don't make any profit writing this. No copyright infringement intended.

**Authors note**

This is set in an alternative universe. Expect the unexpected!

Also this is part of the Torchwood July Oneshot Challenge by inusagi, who was gracious enough to also beta my fic. Thank you, inusagi!

**Troubled**

Gwen rose in bed into a sitting position. Her heart was racing, her hands sweaty and her eyes filled with tears. She had just dreamed of Anwen – the little girl she was supposed to have in the future, but might fail to have. Torchwood had taught her that time wasn't linear – and it wasn't clear if this time line would have the same outcome as the one she has already lived through.

Hell, she and Rhys weren't even engaged, let alone married in this timeline. It scared her to death to think about the different directions her life might take. What if the man lying next to her right now would never propose? He popped the question when Jack had left them on their own – would Jack leave them with the Doctor? He now knew what he needed to know. So there was no need for him to leave any more. But would that change the timeline? What if that would lead to Rhys not asking her if she would like to become his wife? What would happen if he asked and they would get married but she wouldn't be impregnated by this alien? How would that change events?

She was pretty sure that Jack and Ianto would still dance at her wedding, no matter what. She hoped and prayed that Owen wouldn't die and not become a walking dead. She would ask Tosh to be her bridesmaid. But still everything has become so unsure. She was shaking and started crying silently, trying not to wake up Rhys who was lying next to her.

Of course, Rhys noticed that something was wrong and woke up a few moments later. Without hesitation he pulled Gwen into his arms.

"What is it, my love?" he asked, stroking her hair gently while trying to soothe her.

"Anwen..." was all she could get out between sobs that had started to rise in her throat. She was crying unashamed.

"I miss her, too." was Rhys's response, the Welshmen fighting against his own tears. Although his life wasn't as interlinked with all the drama that Torchwood had created over the years, he was very protective of his family and he loved Gwen deeply. He just held Gwen and rocked her a little in his arms, unable to speak himself. It did hurt him enormously to see her so troubled. He knew that she was thinking about everything that was supposed to happen - and he tried to make everything right. That was the reason he hadn't proposed to her again yet. He had to wait until the day he had asked her the first time. It was so important that he did everything the way it happened the first time around – although no one could guarantee that they would end up where they had been in the end. He just hoped that proposing the same day he did the first time and putting the wedding on the same day would help ensure that they would have their baby girl.

"What if we've lost her forever?" Gwen whispered into the darkness of their bedroom, her voice shaking slightly while tears were still running down her cheeks.

"Then we will deal with it. We can still have a child – or maybe even children..." Rhys tried to comfort her. "It's not as if she has died..."

"No, she just ceased to exist!" Gwen sounded angry and frustrated. As much as she loved working for Torchwood, this was the highest price she had yet to pay. Jack had offered her and Rhys Retcon, but both decided they wanted to keep their memories since no one could ensure that they would get their daughter back.

"It's just not fair!" Gwen stated.

"Well, when has Torchwood ever been fair?" Rhys asked quietly. "Come on, love, let's go back to sleep. Tomorrow will be another hard day. I will have to make deliveries and you have to save the world from alien threats. You need to sleep."

She rested in his arms and clung to him as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did depend on this man as much as it did depend on her co-workers. She tried to be thankful for having Tosh, Owen and Ianto back while she drifted back to sleep again.


End file.
